A patient is in shock when there is inadequate blood flow throughout his body. This is a life-threatening medical condition that can result from many causes. These include serious infections, blood loss, poisoning, heatstroke, allergic reactions, trauma, and burns. As a consequence, his vital organs do not get a sufficient supply of oxygen to function optimally. This patient needs to get timely treatment under the supervision of a qualified medical specialist. Otherwise, he will end up suffering from permanent damage to his internal organs.
Margaret L Salmon MD – What are the common symptoms of this medical condition?
Dr. Margaret L. Salmon is a well-known medical specialist from San Francisco, California. She is a University of Washington School of Medicine graduate with almost 20 years of valuable experience under her belt. Her area of expertise is emergency medicine and attends to patients suffering from life-threatening conditions like sudden heart attacks, shock, drug overdose, or massive internal bleeding. Currently, she is working at Oak Valley Hospital District in Oakdale in California.
As per Margaret L Salmon MD, patients who are in a state of shock normally have very low blood pressure. This is why their internal organs cannot get enough oxygen. They exhibit the following symptoms which need immediate medical attention:
- Patients in shock show signs of dizziness or a likelihood of fainting
- They have an irregular pulse and difficulties in breathing normally;
- They may have unusual behavioral changes such as extreme anxiousness or even agitation;
- They may feel extremely weak;
- Á bluish tinge may appear on their lips or tips of their fingernails; and
- Their skin may turn pale and cold.
What are the different types of shock conditions people ought to know?
She states emergency doctors classify this serious life-threatening medical condition into the following five categories:
- Septic shock occurs in patients suffering from serious infection resulting in dehydration;
- Cardiogenic shock happens to patients experiencing a heart attack;
- Hypovolemic shock is common in patients who have lost a lot of blood;
- Anaphylactic shock results when patients suffer from an allergic reaction; and
- Neurogenic shock is the result of damage to the patients’ nervous system.
How do emergency doctors treat shock patients?
She further explains that emergency doctors treat shock patients according to the severity of their condition. Medical specialists first try to increase their patients’ blood pressure. This ensures their vital organs get adequate oxygen to function properly again. To do so, they resort to fluid resuscitation. It involves replenishing the vital bodily fluids the patients have lost via intravenous fluid dip. Taking this step not only boosts the patients’ blood pressure but only keeps them hydrated. Many medical experts even prescribe administering certain drugs to get better results. These include epinephrine, or dopamine.
According to Margaret Salmon MD, it is possible to save the lives of patients suffering from shock. For this, they need to undergo proper treatment in the hands of medical experts specializing in emergency medicine. Only these specialists can administer certain drugs and resort to fluid resuscitation to increase the blood pressure of patients and treat other negative reactions gradually.
